Africa

= Africa =



[|Image by Inkslinging in Africa]

__** Distribution **__  Endemic to Madagascar. This species inhabits the eastern rainforests from the Mangoro River north to Sambava, but excluding the Masoala Peninsula.
 *  Indri //(Indri indri)// ** [[image:indri_indri_large.jpg width="241" height="322" align="right" caption="indri_indri_large.jpg" link="javascript:void(0)"]]

__ **Population Estimate** __ There are no population figures available, but a reasonable order of magnitude estimate would be 1,000-10,000.

**__ Status __** Classified as Endangered (EN A1c + 2c) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The indri is threatened by the loss of its rainforest habitat for fuel, timber and slash-and-burn agriculture, with destruction occurring even within protected areas. Its habitat is now so fragmented that few areas are thought to be large enough to support viable populations of the species. Many local people consider hunting of the indri taboo or fady due to its perceived resemblance to the sacred ancestors of the Malagasy. However, there are reports that immigrants occasionally kill the species for food. The indri is particularly vulnerable to these threats due to its low reproductive rate. [|Image by Nature Picture Library]
 * __Threats__ **

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__** Distribution **__ The species has a discontinuous distribution in western Africa. The largest populations of //H. l. liberiensis// are in Liberia. Smaller populations occur in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast, primarily in regions bordering Liberia. There have been reports of the species from Guinea Bissau, but this population is almost certainly now extinct.
 * Pygmy hippopotamus //( Hexaprotodon liberiensis )// **

The second subspecies, //H. l. heslopi//, is known only from the Niger Delta east to the vicinity of the Cross River in Nigeria. This isolated population is some 1,800 km to the east of known populations of //H. l. liberiensis//.

The pygmy hippo’s range does not overlap with that of the common hippopotamus.

__ ** Population Estimate ** __ In 1993 the IUCN/SSC Hippo Specialist Subgroup estimated that the total remaining population was approximately 2,000–3,000 individuals. The 1993 population estimate for Sierra Leone, the only country with an estimated population size, was 80-100 individuals. Subsequent reports of habitat loss and hunting suggest that the population has declined further since the 1993 estimates.

The Nigerian subspecies ( //H. l. heslopi// ) is believed to be extinct. There have been no confirmed reported of this subspecies for decades, although unofficial reports from local people provide some encouragement that they may still exist.

**__ Status __** Classified as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii)) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Nigerian subspecies is classified as Critically Endangered (CR D).

__**Threats**__ The range of the pygmy hippopotamus is severely fragmented, and is continuing to decline in area, extent and quality as a result of logging, farming and human settlement. In Liberia, where the largest populations of pygmy hippos occur, deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate, with more than 190 million cubic metres of wood having been exported from the country since 1999. The species is under increasing pressure from bushmeat hunters as the forests become smaller and more accessible. Although pygmy hippos are unlikely to be the main target of subsistence hunting, they are taken opportunistically by the hunters, and this is likely to be impacting upon the remaining small, isolated populations. National and international conflicts in eastern Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are also likely to be having a negative effect on the species. The border area between Guinea and Liberia in particular has been under increasing pressure from the impacts of Liberian war refugee settlements. According to the IUCN/SSC Hippo Specialist Subgroup, unless effective protection or conservation actions are taken, the viability of this species should be considered extremely low. [|Image by ZSL Living Conservation]

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**Golden bamboo lemur //( Hapalemur aureus )// ** **__ Distribution __** Endemic to Madagascar. The species is known to occur in small patches of rainforest in southeastern Madagascar, including Ranomafana National Park and Andringitra Nature Reserve.

**__Population Estimate __** Population size is estimated to be about 1,000 individuals.

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Classified as Critically Endangered (CR A2cd) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Threats The species is threatened by the continued loss of its forest habitat due to slash-and-burn agriculture and timber extraction. Even the protected forests within Ranomafana National Park are at risk from illegal logging and exploitation. The species may also be at risk from hunting for food and the pet trade. =====

The species is threatened by the continued loss of its forest habitat due to slash-and-burn agriculture and timber extraction. Even the protected forests within Ranomafana National Park are at risk from illegal logging and exploitation. The species may also be at risk from hunting for food and the pet trade. [|Image by Primate Conservation] fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Endemic to the Seychelles Islands, this species is now known only from the island of Silhouette and the west coast of Mahé. Recent studies by the Government of Seychelles and Nature Seychelles failed to detect any bats at previously known roosting sites on the islands of La Digue and Praslin and the species is now thought to be extinct on both islands.

** __ Population Estimate __ **
= = Fewer than 100 bats are believed to survive, in just two locations. A 2003 study by the Nature Protection Trust of the Seychelles (NPTS) recorded 32 bats in a single cave system on the island of Silhouette. Studies conducted by Nature Seychelles in 2004 and 2006 have recorded a maximum of 55 bats in three roosts on the coast of Mahé. Throughout the course of monitoring the roosts on Mahé the number of bats recorded fluctuated, leading to speculation that roost emergences may be influenced by breeding patterns or movement between roosts. Monitoring of the Mahe roosts is carried out occasionally by the Seychelles Ministry of Environment. The main Silhouette population is monitored daily using a CCTV system. This population currently (December 2008) stands at 34 bats. A second population exists on Silhouette but may be reduced to a single bat. The maximum current population is therefore 90 individuals.

= **__ Status __** = Classified as Critically Endangered (CR C2a(i,ii)) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. __**Threats**__ This species has declined mainly due to habitat deterioration. It has been speculated that introduced Barn Owl (// Tyto alba //) may predate on the bats and as such may have influenced population numbers, but this is difficult to substantiate. There is no doubt that the species has declined due to loss of habitat to human development as a number of caves previously providing roost sites for this species have been lost to development. The roost on Silhouette has faced pressure from tourism development, leading to a decline in the number of bats. The only viable roosts on Mahé are adjacent to areas where hotel developments are underway or have been approved. This is likely to lead to roost abandonment and a very real risk of extinction fo the species on Mahe. The reliance of this species on coastal habitats places it under continued pressure from housing and tourism developments and their related infrastructure both on Mahé and Silhouette. Even in the absence of development pressures invasive plant species are causing the deterioration of feeding habitat, leading to a reduction in their favoured beetle prey and reduced breeding success. [|Image by Stadilainen]

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The species has an extremely limited distribution. It is confined to a number of discontinuous forest fragments between the Manambato and Loky Rivers in northeast Madagascar. The town of Daraina lies at the centre of this range. The entire range is just over 88,000 hectares, about half of which is forest. __ **Population Estimate** __ The total population size is estimated to be between 6,120 and 10,080.

Classified as Critically Endangered (CR A2c, B1+2bcd) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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This species has one of the smallest ranges and documented population sizes of any lemur. The forests throughout its range are already severely fragmented, causing some groups to become physically and genetically isolated from the main population. No part of the species’ range is protected. The isolated patches of forest which remain are under pressure from slash-and-burn agriculture (tavy) and logging. The discovery and subsequent mining of gold in the region has led to further habitat loss, and an influx of miners who hunt the animals for food. =====

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